• Millions of NRIs are upset for candidatures of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, who were facing allegations of involvement in the anti-Sikh riots.
• The Congress High Command allocated party tickets to Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar- The decision has hurt the sentiments of Sikh community...............NRI Surinder Mehta, Toronto, Canada

Congress decision to remove Tytler, Kumar bold: Dikshit

New Delhi, May 07, 2009

Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit has termed Congress' decision to remove two "great" Congressmen- Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar from the electoral fray as "bold" and "wise" and said their absence will not affect party's performance in the LS polls.

As Delhi goes to polls on Thursday, the Chief Minister refused to accept the party's decision as "hasty", saying it was taken keeping in view the wishes of the people.

"The sentiments of the community (Sikhs) were hurt. They were politically touched. So the Congress in its wisdom thought all right, they are very great Congressmen but we have to remove them," she said adding the day the party changed them all the protests stopped.

Asked if there was any infighting in the party, Dikshit replied in the negative and said, "there is more infighting in other parties like the BJP".

On the winnability of NDA, she said, "looks hardly".

"There is no credible reason for people to vote other than Congress," the chief minister added.

About her son Sandeep, who is seeking re-election from East Delhi constituency, Dikshit said he is "doing well" as a politician and has "matured a lot" in the last five years.

"As a politician, he has come out well, he is doing well. I wish him good and hope that he maintains his honesty and uprightness," Dikshit said.

She said Sandeep, who is pitted against BJP's Chetan Chouhan in the East Delhi constituency, has "matured a lot".

"There is a lot of difference between the Sandeep five years ago and Sandeep now," Dikshit said.

Sandeep said he is more confident this time. "Not only in Delhi, but the sense I am getting from all over India, its a good feeling," he added.

The campaigning has been longer this time and it was a very different experience, he said. "There was much more public contact, it was strenuous but very good."

Pointed out that he is always identified as the Chief Minister's son, Sandeep said she is such a personality that anything related to Delhi is connected to her.

"As I have a family connection, people link me with her...it is an honourable relationship, its okay, no problem."

Dikshit confident of allies joining Cong after polls

With Congress getting a cold response to its overtures to woo allies, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has expressed confidence that the allies will "join the bandwagon" once it emerges as the largest party.

Terming the scouting for new allies by Congress "as realistic", she said, "When the UPA is making the government and the Congress emerges as the largest party, lot of things will happen. Many corridors will open...those people who have been vitriolic against the government, will join the bandwagon".

Dikshit's response came to a question on Congress' advances being met with a cold shoulder.

The party has been making overtures to potential allies like JD(U), TDP, AIADMK and the Left in a bid to shore up its numbers after the polls. (DD-7.5)

• On December 18 2007, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi court Sanjeev Jain, who had earlier dismissed the case after CBI submitted a misleading report in his court; ordered India's Central Bureau of Investigation to reopen cases relating to 1984 Anti-Sikh riots against Jagdish Tytler.
• In December 2007, NRI, a witness Jasbir Singh, who is lives in California, appeared on several private television news and stated that he was never contacted by Central Bureau of Investigation.
  
• In November 2007, The CBI closed all cases against Jagdish Tytler for his alleged criminal conspiracy to engineer riots against Sikhs
• On August 10, 2005, he resigned from the Union Council of Ministers.
• Remember that the Nanavati Commission found some 'credible evidence' against Tytler, saying he 'very probably' had a hand in organising the attacks.